Annual running of the bulls begins in Spain, 1 gored

From Al Goodman, CNN

Updated 0211 GMT (0911 HKT) July 8, 2012

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Running of the bulls – Participants run during the last day of the Running of the Bulls on Saturday, July 14, in Pamplona, Spain. The dangerous tradition has tallied thousands of injuries and 15 deaths since record-keeping began in 1924, including the fatal goring of a Spanish man in 2009.

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Running of the bulls – A wounded man is treated for a head injury after running with Torrehandilla Torreherberos fighting bulls on Saturday.

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Running of the bulls – A man sleeps at the entrance of the bullring before the next run starts.

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Running of the bulls – Spectators watch as a participant is hit by a bull Saturday.

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Running of the bulls – Participants run in front of Don Juan Pedro Domecq's bulls, during the seventh bull run of the San Fermin festival, in the the Northern Spanish city of Pamplona, on Friday, July 13.

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Running of the bulls – A bull takes down a runner after a San Fermin Festival bull run, on Friday, in Pamplona, northern Spain.

Running of the bulls – Participants run in front of Don Juan Pedro Domecq's bulls on Friday.

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Running of the bulls – A reveler leans against the fence next to a painting of San Fermin in Curva Estafeta before Friday's running-of-the-bulls.

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Running of the bulls – Revelers run beside a Don Juan Pedro Domecq fighting bull on Friday at Curva Estafeta.

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Running of the bulls – Revelers sing el cantico a San Fermin under the San Fermin statue on la cuesta de Santo Domingo on Friday.

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Running of the bulls – People take pictures as participants run by during the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain, on Friday, July 13.

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Running of the bulls – A man is thrown by a bull during the sixth day of the running of the bulls at the San Fermin festival on Thursday, July 12.

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Running of the bulls – A runner grabs the horn of a Victoriano del Rio fighting bull as they sprint toward the entrance to the bullring Thursday.

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Running of the bulls – A participant in the running braces as a number of bulls pass close by on Thursday.

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Running of the bulls – A bull jumps over revelers as others clear the way as the animals enter the bullring on Thursday.

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Running of the bulls – Scottish runners from Glasgow and Aberdeen wearing kilts walk through the streets of Pamplona before the sixth day of festivities Thursday morning.

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Running of the bulls – One of the bulls tosses a runner on Wednesday, July 11.

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Running of the bulls – Participants run through the entrance of the bullring Wednesday on the fifth day of the festivities.

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Running of the bulls – Participants run in front of El Pilar bulls on the fourth day of the San Fermin festival on Tuesday, July 10.

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Running of the bulls – Two couples kiss as they wait for the fourth bull run to begin Tuesday.

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Running of the bulls – Revelers read the day's newspapers as they wait for Tuesday's events to begin.

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Running of the bulls – Thousands fill the streets and balconies along Estafeta Street during the San Fermin festivities Monday.

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Running of the bulls – A bull chases revelers on the third day of the annual Running of the Bulls.

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Running of the bulls – Participants run along Estafeta Street in Pamplona on Sunday, July 8.

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Running of the bulls – Revelers celebrate during the Pena Voladora parade on Estafeta Street on Saturday, July 7.

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Running of the bulls – Participants seek safety during the first bull run on Saturday.

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Running of the bulls – A man receives medical assistance after being injured during the first San Fermin Festival bull run.

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Running of the bulls – Participants run out of the way of Dolores Aguirre fighting bulls before entering the Estafeta corner.

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Running of the bulls – People hold red handkerchiefs in the air during the opening ceremony Friday. The run in Pamplona started 400 years ago.

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Running of the bulls – A participant gulps sangria Friday during the Chupinazo, which marks the first day of the annual event.

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Running of the bulls – A reveler jumps from a fountain into the crowd at Plaza de Navarreria during the Chupinazo.

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Running of the bulls – People try to escape the horns and hooves of the bulls on Saturday.

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Running of the bulls – The eight-day festival became popular worldwide after author Ernest Hemingway wrote about it in his 1920s book "The Sun Also Rises."

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Running of the bulls – Runners push past each other to escape the bulls.

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Running of the bulls – A runner rests on a bench on the first day of the festival.

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Story highlights

One of the victims was gored, officials say

The run in Pamplona started 400 years ago

There have been 15 deaths since record-keeping began in 1924

A 73-year-old Spanish man was gored in the right leg on the first day of the annual running of the bulls in Pamplona and a 21-year-old Japanese runner was dragged by a bull, authorities said.

Those were two of six runners who were rushed to the hospital after the frenetic race down the narrow cobblestone streets of the old Spanish town. One of the others taken to the hospital was a 26-year-old Australian who suffered a knee injury. The Red Cross also treated 72 others for minor injuries at the scene, authorities said.

The runner from Ikeda, Japan -- whose gender was not immediately released -- was dragged by what appeared to be a bull's horn, hooked through clothing, on the pavement downhill toward the bullring, images from Spanish state television showed. The runner suffered back injuries.

There have been 15 deaths since record-keeping began in 1924 and thousands of injuries in the tradition that dates back 400 years.

Author Ernest Hemingway wrote about it in his 1920s novel, "The Sun Also Rises," also published under the title, "Fiesta," and crowds have poured in from around the globe ever since. The town has since erected a statue to Hemingway outside the bullring.

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The running starts at 8 a.m. (2 a.m. ET) for eight consecutive days, through July 14, and lasts just a few minutes, from the corrals through the hard pavement of old town streets to the bullring, where the bulls face certain death against matadors later in the day.

The weekends of the fiesta traditionally see the largest crowds, when Pamplona's population of 200,000 can triple.

The race was packed on Saturday, and the run lasted just two minutes and 53 seconds to cover the 825-meter (902 yard) course.

The six fighting bulls from the Dolores Aguirre Ybarra ranch, each weighing about a half ton, stayed together for the first part of the course. At one point four of them charged ahead, as runners behind tried to dodge the two remaining bulls trying to catch up.

The Spanish man was the only one gored on Saturday. Besides the Japanese and the Australian, the other three sent to hospital were Spaniards, aged 19 to 49, who suffered shoulder, rib or wrist injuries, authorities said.

The bulls were accompanied, as usual, by a pack of six tame steers to help guide them to the bullring.

The running of the bulls is the marquee event of the week-long fiesta, named for Pamplona's patron saint, San Fermin. It includes non-stop activities, including concerts, parades and amusement park rides, that aim to appeal to all ages. The event is huge boon to the local economy.